Pietro Bembo

Pietro Bembo (20 May 1470-18 January 1547) was an Italian cardinal of the Catholic Church, a poet, a scholar, and a member of the Knights Hospitaller. He was also a lover of Lucrezia Borgia.

Biography
Pietro Bembo was born in Venice, Republic of Venice on 20 May 1470, and he accompanied his father on many of his ambassadorial travels. He became a well-known poet and musician, and he began a love affair with Lucrezia Borgia in Ferrara in 1502; she was the wife of the Duke of Ferrara, Alfonso d'Este. In 1513, he became Latin secretary to Pope Leo X, and he joined the Knights Hospitaller in 1514. In 1530, he became the official historian of the Republic of Venice, and Pope Paul III made him a cardinal in pectore in 1538. In 1542, he became a Cardinal-Priest, and he served until his death in 1547.